1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to analysis of molecular samples.
More particularly, the present invention relates to fabrication of molecular analyzers and analysis of bio-molecule samples.
2. Prior Art
Identification of molecular structure has become very important in many industries. In particular, biological molecules such as nucleic acids and proteins are analyzed to form the basis of clinical diagnostic assays. The procedures utilized often involve large numbers of repetitive steps which consume large amounts of time. With the advent of large projects such as the human genome project, faster and less complex techniques are required.
Simpler and quicker analysis of molecules has been provided by the development of devices often referred to as bio chips, which are arrays of test sites formed on a substrate. Each of the plurality of test sites includes probes therein to bond with target molecules from samples applied to the device. The binding of a molecule to a probe is noted, thereby identifying the molecule.
While increasing the speed and efficiency of analyzing samples, the arrays of test sites must still immobilize specific bio-molecules on a solid surface to act as probes. Conventionally, placing bio-molecules as probes on specific test sites is time consuming, expensive, often lacks the desired accuracy and does not meet the desired size constraints. Placement of bio-molecules for probes is conventionally accomplished by in-situ synthesis using photolithography, which is very labor intensive with unsatisfactory accuracy, mechanical spotting, which is a slow process with the smallest test site size limited by the nature of the process, or chemical ink jetting, having an inaccuracy similar to in-situ synthesis and test site size limits similar to mechanical spotting.
Furthermore, once fabrication has been completed, a method for the detection of the bonding of the probe with a target molecule must be provided. There are many techniques for determining which test sites have molecules bonded to them including autoradiography, optical detection (fluorescence) and electronic detection. The use of monolithic devices with an array of test sites generally require externally accessible terminals for each test site. As the number of test sites in an array is increased, the complexity of providing and making contact with the terminals for each test site becomes increasingly difficult and burdensome.
It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved apparatus for analyzing molecules and method for fabrication and use thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for analyzing molecules using wireless contacts for a spatially addressable array of test sites.
And another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for analyzing molecules which is fast and efficient.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for analyzing molecules wherein the light source array is used to fabricate the test sites and is therefore self aligned with the test sites for use as the excitation source in optical detection.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus which can include more test sites than prior art methods using wire connections in the same area.